by Angela Hartley | Oct 24, 2021 | The Gardens
This weekend, I drove to Little Egg Harbor, NJ to visit my friend Jeanne. Jeanne and I were friends and sorority sisters ages ago at Gettysburg College (circa 1985). We reconnected on Facebook and have been in close touch for the past year. Earlier this spring, Jeanne came to our house and was a huge help in getting the garden ready for summer.
This was my first trip to her house, and once I got off the turnpike, I found myself in the New Jersey Pinelands. The Pinelands National Reserve consists of approximately 1.1 million acres in southern New Jersey. The area has an interesting history and is currently home to blueberry farms and cranberry bogs.
Jeanne has an amazing garden, and many of the plants in my garden are her donations. This weekend, her aster was still going strong and was covered in sweat bees and hover flies.
And this is the best boi, Brewster. Compared to our heathens, he is so calm and sweet. He just hangs with you and watches tv or occasionally pulls out a squeaky toy. He was spoiled this weekend and got to sleep in the guest bed with me.
We spent the day Saturday antiquing at two great places: Half Moon Trading Co. and Days of Olde Antiques. Jeanne was very patient with me! We called our friend Shelly who we haven’t seen in 25 years, and then had an amazing dinner of avocado salad and sushi.
It was an overall great trip and I am SO grateful for the friends of my youth who have become the friends of my life.
by Angela Hartley | Oct 14, 2021 | Bees, Insects in the Gardens, The Gardens
So far, we’ve had what I believe is an unseasonably warm fall. The tropical milkweed is still going strong, and the cleome is just starting to look worse for the wear. The bees are out and about: the bumble bees are tending my fall-bearing raspberries and they actually sleep in the flowers. Ben’s honeybees are on the milkweed, Russian sage, Montauk daisies, and remaining wild flowers. Here are some photos of the beauty of fall in my garden.
by Angela Hartley | Oct 6, 2021 | The Gardens
I recently took a deep breath and entered 15 of my photos to the annual Smithsonian Magazine photo contest. I chose the submissions based on my favorites and feedback from friends. Please wish me luck and take a moment to tell me which is your favorite in the comments below.
by Angela Hartley | Aug 31, 2021 | Insects in the Gardens, The Gardens
Skippers are the unsung and underappreciated butterflies of the garden. They are not big, or bold, or fancy like the swallowtails. They don’t have their own rescue and Facebook groups like the monarchs, at least not to my knowledge. People don’t obsess over the fate of the skippers; in fact, many people never even notice them.
But to me, skippers are the stalwarts. They will hang out anywhere: from weed patches to rose gardens. They are not picky. They happily go about their way, quietly pollinating and gently minding their own business. Their colors are generally not so flashy as their larger cousins, but they have beauty and charm nonetheless. The photos below are all of Hobomok skippers (except one dingy–can you find him?) on lavender, coneflower and wallflower.
And although the cabbage whites are not skippers, like the skipper they are always around but much harder to photograph. I’ve also included a pearl crescent and a tiny Eastern tailed blue. Their movements are fast and darting, just like the skippers.
by Angela Hartley | Aug 15, 2021 | Bees, Insects in the Gardens, The Gardens
It’s Sunday. I’m doing laundry, cleaning, shredding zucchini for bread and to freeze. I should be scrubbing the kitchen floor. Instead, I decided to walk around the yard with my camera,and this is what I found.
Now, I’ll go scrub the floor!
